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Nerve growth factor delays retinal degeneration in C3H mice

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Abstract

• Background: The aim of the present study was to investigate the biological role of nerve growth factor (NGF) on retinal degeneration in the C3H mouse strain. This strain is characterized by a single gene mutation (rd) which leads to photoreceptor degeneration resembling human retinitis pigmentosa. • Methods: Neural retinas from 1- to 25 day-old C3H mice were dissected from outer ocular tissues, dissociated in cell suspension, stained with a vital dye and counted in a hemocytometer. For in vivo study, NGF was injected into the intraocular or retro-ocular area, and at the end of the treatment the mice were killed. The eyes were enucleated, fixed and cut by cryostat into 14-μm serial sections. The serial sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and the outer nuclear layer (ONL) was measured using a computerized image analysis system. • Results: An intraocular injection of NGF, or repeated retro-ocular injections, induced a significant increase in ONL thickness compared to controls. • Conclusion: Our data show that NGF inhibits retinal degeneration in C3H mice. The mechanism(s) underlying the protective action of NGF against retinal cell death remains to be established.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Neurobiology, CNR, Viale Marx 15, I-00137, Rome, Italy

    Alessandro Lambiase & Luigi Aloe

  2. Department of Ophthalmology, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy

    Alessandro Lambiase

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  1. Alessandro Lambiase
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  2. Luigi Aloe
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Lambiase, A., Aloe, L. Nerve growth factor delays retinal degeneration in C3H mice. Graefe's Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 234 (Suppl 1), S96–S100 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02343055

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02343055

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